How Much Protein Do We Really Need to Thrive

Protein

It is well known that protein is vital for improving body composition. Whether the goal is to lose weight, maintain muscle mass, or increase muscle mass, protein consumption plays a major role. Amino acids, which are the building block of protein, make up our muscles and can help our bodies repair tissues such as muscle, bone, or cartilage, as well as create enzymes and hormones. When consumed sufficiently, protein can help maintain satiety, regulate blood sugar levels, and can help prevent food cravings. What isn’t often discussed is how much protein is needed to maximize these effects? What is the bare minimum we should be consuming? And how much protein do we need to thrive?

The current Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) for protein is 0.8g/kg. Meaning that an individual should consume 0.8 grams of protein per 1 kilogram of body weight. What is not clearly specified in this recommendation, is that 0.8g/kg is the absolute lowest amount of protein consumption needed to prevent disease or dysfunction. Thus, the DRI is the bare minimum for preventing illness, not what our bodies need to thrive. As a result, many of us have fallen into the trap of consuming inadequate protein. Interestingly, protein recommendations are prescribed based on body weight, rather than a percentage of total calories. This is incredibly important, as most individuals either under-consume or over-consume calories. Thus, g/kg is helpful to ensure adequate protein status regardless of total calories.

Athletes and active individuals are in fact recommended to consume 1.2-2.0g/kg per day. Furthermore, individuals looking to increase muscle mass or improve body composition may consume up to 3.0g/kg. Now for most people, 3.0g/kg would be unrealistic and would not bring about any added benefits, but it can prove useful in some instances.

To establish a spectrum of protein consumption, a 150lb (68kg) athlete consuming the DRI would be consuming 55 grams of protein daily. That same athlete at 2.0g/kg would be consuming 136 grams of protein. That’s nearly three times as much protein! Surely this will have a significant impact on body composition and metabolic health.

For many years, high protein consumption has been equated with negative health complications. Thankfully, studies have determined that unless you are managing kidney issues or chronic kidney disease, there are no negative side effects to higher protein consumption. Protein consumption results in a higher nitrogen and urea concentration in the urine. Those with healthy kidneys will have no issue excreting these higher levels; however, those with pre-existing kidney issues may have difficulties with higher concentrations of protein metabolites.

So how do we find the answers to the questions we asked above?

For clients or individuals looking to improve their macronutrient composition, I like to recommend tracking their food for 1 if not 2 weeks. The goals here is not to try and change or improve what is currently being done, but to gauge where the starting point. This is usually quite illuminating for all parties involved. Once the starting point is determined, the next step is to find a daily average for calories and protein consumption. This will become the foundation towards setting proper goals, benchmarks, and habits to create proper protein consumption.